


In Another Life (Not Meant For Us)

by FanFictheKid



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, Bullying, F/M, Female Reader, Mutual Pining, Ned being a pretty awesome wingman, Original Character(s), slow burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-05-01 14:13:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14522367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFictheKid/pseuds/FanFictheKid
Summary: Peter wanted to pursue her, talk to her, get to know her. It wasn't attraction, he hadn't even seen her face. It was something stronger. She was a flame to a moth, pulling him in and moving away so he would follow. He was drawn to her the way mass is drawn to earth.





	1. A Flame to a Moth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter is incredibly short, but necessary. Later chapters will be longer, some a lot more.  
> If you enjoy, please read the end notes for some clarification for later.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Peter's legs were dangling over the edge of the building and a sandwich was in his hand. It was getting late, he should go home soon. He could see into his living room, where Aunt May had fallen asleep on the couch. She wouldn't know if he stayed out a bit longer...

So he was still there with the lower half of his face revealed when someone opened the door to the roof. In a silent scramble, he pulled his mask down with one hand and eased himself onto the side of the building with the other. He peeked over the edge.

A girl was standing on the concrete border across from him. She turned her head from one side to the other, taking in the view. She stood there long enough that Peter worried she was going to jump. He was climbing back up to talk her down, or at least be closer in case he needed to catch her, when she stretched her arms above her head and turned around. Peter dropped back out of sight and listened to her footsteps disappear back inside.

When she was gone, Peter noticed a feeling lingering in him. He wanted to pursue her, talk to her, get to know her. It wasn't attraction, he hadn't even seen her face. It was something stronger. She was a flame to a moth, pulling him in and moving away so he would follow. He was drawn to her the way mass is drawn to earth. It was an overwhelming, irresistible, undeniable curiosity.

Peter surrendered to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic of a significant length and is an idea I had that is compiled of many, many ideas from my prompt book. I will add tags as it progresses, so as not to ruin any significant surprises I have planned.  
> This takes place around the same time as Infinity War, since Peter and the MC are in senior year, but in a universe without Thanos. This is because I wrote the important parts of this before Infinity War came out, and most of it wouldn't work in universe. My apologies, but it'll be inconsistent with canon. Hopefully you can still enjoy.  
> P.S. There will be lots of explicit parts a few chapters in, don't worry. Those parts will be pretty significant to the plot, so if you skip those sorts of things, this probably isn't a story for you. (I tagged it as explicit anyway to avoid people getting interested in it and not following it because the content isn't what they signed up for.)  
> I'll leave it at that for now and add other notes later, so you don't get bored of my rambling and not get an explanation for something in the story.  
> Thank you!


	2. Helping Hand

“I like it,” I told my mom. “It’s pretty peaceful up there.”

“Good!” She gave me a smile and looked around us at the stacks of boxes. “Finish unpacking after dinner?”

“Mom,” I groaned, shaking my head. “We just got here. Let’s start tomorrow.”

“Strong defense. Your motion passes,” she said. We laughed, then she sighed. “Honey, we don’t have any food.”

“I can get us something for a bit until we can go shopping,” I offered.

“Alone?”

“I’ll have my phone with me.” I slipped my wallet in my pocket. “Maybe you could unpack a box or two to kill some time.” 

“If you’re sure,” she answered, but she still looked a bit anxious.

“Don’t worry.” I grabbed my new apartment key and slipped out the door, being sure to call back to her before shutting it. “Love you.”

I opted for the stairs to give myself more time to think. In a few days, my senior year would begin. In a completely different state than I grew up in. I considered not bothering making all-new friends only to leave when the year was over for college, but I knew I couldn’t survive for months alone. One or two friends, then.

My feet carried me onto the street while my mind tuned out. The streets were almost empty, strange for a city with a reputation of being boisterous. The lights of a pizza place cut through the near darkness of the block. I made for it, pizza being a good bet for more than one meal.

A block away from it, a young man ran up to me. I took a step back instinctively but his expression made me pause; even in the darkness I could see his eyes wide with panic, no, desperation.

“Please, call an ambulance,” he blurted. “My friend, he’s hurt.”

Automatically, I pulled out my phone and began dialing. There was a pained cry and the man turned on his heel and ran around a corner to where I assumed his friend was. I followed and saw a figure slumped against the wall, an arm wrapped around an abdomen. His friend had an hand on his shoulder and was speaking to him softly. I hurried to his side as the operator answered.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“There’s a man, he’s hurt. He needs an ambulance.”

“What is your location?”

“I-,” I choked. I didn’t know. I tried to remember a street sign or landmark, anything, but couldn’t.I couldn’t even think of the name of the pizza place I was going to. I opened my mouth to tell the operator when the man who ran to me took the phone. I looked at him, expecting him to answer the operator’s questions, but he smirked and hung up.

“People are always so eager to help,” he spat. “Especially women.”

“What?” I looked from him to his friend, who was now aiming a pistol at my head. “What do you want?”

“Not this.” He handed my phone back to me. “Don’t try to use that or Theo here will pull that trigger.”

I put my phone away and narrowed my eyes. “Will that be all?”

“Get on your knees.”

“How do you know I won’t scream?” I asked. Cold metal pressed against my temple. I rolled my eyes. “Thought so.” I dropped to my knees. He grabbed the back of my head, pushing his crotch against my face.

“Ever been fucked?” He asked. I kept my teeth clenched.

“Lenny and me will show you a good time, don’t worry,” Theo chipped in. He brushed the back of his hand against my cheek. I let them do as they pleased while I waited for an opening.

I never got a chance, though. A person dropped to the ground behind Lenny. They were wearing some sort of red and black outfit that covered them head to toe.

“Why don’t you guys try Tinder?” The person, a young man by the voice, said. 

Both men turned. Theo turned the gun to him and the man shot some sort of rope from his wrist to cover the weapon and pull it away. I brought my fist into Lenny’s zipper and his knees buckled. More of the rope was wrapped around Theo’s face and yanked to bring him to the ground.

“Th-thank you,” I stuttered, getting to my feet and backing away slowly. “Thank you.” I turned and ran.

\--------------------------

Peter wanted to go after her, but it was like the sound of her voice thanking him as she looked in his eyes froze him to the spot. 

_ Beautiful,  _ he thought.  _ No, beyond that. Heavenly? Not quite right, but what’s above that? _

Peter went home, able to think of little else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will feature a cameo from a character I've been told a lot of people want, so I did my best. Coming soon!


	3. Countdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much as chapters go, but I have several shorter chapters to build up to the longer ones. I didn't want to combine them all because it is quite a bit to take in for one or two chapters. I promise they'll get longer.

When I was several blocks away from the new apartment, I remembered I was supposed to be getting food. By this time, almost everything was closed, so there weren’t many options. I didn’t want to turn back for pizza, either, so I pressed on.

When I was almost to the apartment, I passed a shop with its lights on and turned inside. The man at the counter greeted me and idly read a magazine while I picked out some basic ingredients for meals tomorrow. I brought them to him and added sandwiches for tonight. After I paid, I turned to the TV while I waited. The news was running, an anchor describing a runaway train from earlier today.

_ “Nearly a hundred people were aboard,” _ she said.  _ “The train was going nearly twice its safe speed toward a sharp curve on a hillside. Spider-Man was able to pull it to reduce its momentum and a disaster was avoided. Thank you, Spider-Man.” _

A picture of Spider-Man replaced the anchor; I drew in a breath. It was the man who saved me in the alley.

“Who is that?” I asked quietly.

“Hm?” The man looked up and followed my gaze to the screen. “Spider-Man? He’s one of the greatest men to ever live. This place was burning down a while back and he dragged me out. I rebuilt it better than ever and I owe it to him that I lived to do it.” He smiled and held out a bag with my purchases.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“Enjoy.”

I walked the rest of the way with different thoughts on my mind than when I left. This Spider-Man has clearly been around a while, saving people and winning the hearts of the citizens.

“Yum!” My mom exclaimed when I presented her with her sandwich. “How was your walk?”

I concealed my hesitation with a sip of soda. I didn’t get hurt, so there was no point making her worry. “It was great,” I said enthusiastically. Hey eyes lit up- she believed me.

“Good.” She took another bite and began speaking animatedly about her new job. She left out nothing, and my mind began to wander. I faked my way through conversations until it was time to sleep.


	4. First Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried pretty hard to avoid using name inserts, I think it ruins the flow of the story, but after a certain point it becomes nearly impossible. Especially in situations where characters introduce themselves!  
> Anyway, please enjoy!

The night before my first day of my last year of high school, I looked up and memorized the route to and from the place to my house. When I was sure I wasn’t going to get lost, I fell into bed. It was quite a while until I fell asleep, however. I was worried; I had been in the same city for my whole life, same people, same patterns. If mom could have waited just one more year to accept that new job, everything would be so much better.

I woke up to gentle sunshine streaming through my curtains. I checked my phone and saw it was a few minutes before my alarm was set. I shut it off and sat up, looking out the window. The streets were full of people now, everyone going about their lives.

I got up and dressed, not putting much thought into my actions. I went into the bathroom and continued my ritual. If I removed myself completely from what I was doing, it was like I hadn’t moved at all. When I was finished, I grabbed my backpack and met my mother in the kitchen.

“You’re up pretty early,” she commented.

“Couldn’t wait,” I replied. 

“I made omelettes.” 

So I sat down and ate my omelette. She asked questions about my schedule, if I was excited.  I answered them all, turning my enthusiasm up quite a bit for her sake. Only a year left, then I was free to live as I wanted.

“Thanks for breakfast,” I said, standing up and kissing her on the cheek.

“Of course, sweetie. Have a good day!” 

I took the elevator this time, hoping to get there early and gather my bearings. I wanted to disappear into my head for a bit but knew I could not; I had to pay attention to the route I was on.

I could feel the beginning of a headache and I chewed my lip with worry. It was pretty early to be showing symptoms… I dismissed it as stress-induced and continued. I wasn’t far, I could see the building in the distance.

As I entered the school, I realized something- I knew I would have to ask for directions, but I hadn’t anticipated how difficult it would be to approach someone. In my old school, I knew everyone for as long as I could remember. I glanced around the hallway, hoping I could figure it out myself.

“Hey,” a boy stood before me. “Do you need some help? You look kinda lost.”

“Is it that obvious?” I asked, laughing nervously.

“Kinda. I’m Ned, by the way.” 

“(Y/N).”

“May I?” Ned asked. I cocked my head, and he gestured to the schedule in my hand.

“Oh, right!” I passed it to him and he read over it. As he was reading, someone approached us and greeted Ned. Ned looked up. “Oh, hey, Peter!”

\-------------------------

_ It was her. _

The girl before Peter was  _ the girl _ . He didn’t even have to see her to know. He felt the same tug in his being in her direction. He tried not to let it show on his face, though. She would have no recognition of him, after all, having not seen his face until this moment.

“What’s up?” Peter asked, meeting Ned’s eyes and casting a meaningful glance at the girl. Ned caught on. 

“I’m helping (Y/N) find her class.” Ned answered. He turned to (Y/N) and continued. “Your first class is upstairs, turn right, go past six doors and three rows of lockers on the left and four doors and two rows of lockers on the right-”

“I’m sorry, you lost me,” (Y/N) said. 

“Actually, that’s on the way to Peter’s class. It would be easier if he showed you.” It was Ned’s turn to give Peter a meaningful glance. “Right, Peter?”

Peter blinked. “Right.” He smiled at (Y/N). “I’d be happy to.”

“The bell is about to ring,” Ned said, looking at his phone. “You know what, we should exchange numbers and make a group chat. So if you wanted to sit next to someone you met for a few minutes at the assembly, you can find us.”

“Assembly?” (Y/N) said, looking a bit nervous.

“Every year, they have an assembly on the first day,” Peter explained. “Your home room will take you there.”

“Oh.” She chewed her lip. “Yeah, might as well.” She laughed and tore a strip of paper from her schedule, then tore that one in half. She scribbled her number on both and gave them to Peter and Ned.

“Awesome.” Ned said, tucking it into his pocket. “See you later.”

“See you,” (Y/N) mumbled.

“Later,” Peter said.


	5. Territory

I followed Peter down the hall, chewing my tongue. Something was bothering me about Peter, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. He smelled incredible, but somehow familiar.

“You know, neither of you actually told me what your class is,” Peter pointed out. 

“Oh...right.” I handed him my schedule and watched him scan it. 

“Ah, you have Mr. Patrick for home room. He’s really cool, you could use your phone the whole time and he doesn’t care.”

“That is cool.” My eyes were fixed on Peter’s profile, willing my mind to put the pieces together. 

“We have a few classes together, so I hope we get along okay.” He turned and smiled at me; my heart stuttered. 

“Me, too,” I replied. My cheeks were getting warm. I told myself it was a warmer city than I was used to.

“Well, here we are,” Peter said, stopping in front of a door. “See you soon?”

I opened my mouth to reply with an affirmative when someone bumped into me, a boy. He stopped, turned, and looked from me to Peter.

“ ‘Sup, Penis Parker,” the boy said. “This your girlfriend?”

“Actually, we just met,” I corrected him. I wasn’t sure why I was standing up to this guy, but I couldn’t stop the words.

“True, you are way out of his league.” When the boy said the words, I frowned a bit. That sounded quite a bit like a compliment, but the tone was meant to be insulting.

“Could it be you’re just jealous that girls  _ want  _ to talk to Peter?” I was assuming quite a bit with that, but this guy’s smell was putting me off. I figured I couldn’t be the only one that he had that effect on.

“I’ll give you one more chance to choose who you want as an enemy.” He spoke softly, but I had no trouble hearing him.

It wasn’t much of a choice; I didn’t hesitate at all. I stepped closer to Peter, narrowing my eyes at the boy glaring back at me. Out of my peripheral, I saw the boy’s fists at his sides, clenched hard and twitching. I felt Peter lean into me; if I had even considered backing down, the thought was dismissed at the feeling of Peter’s skin against mine.

The bell rang, cutting through the bubble of tension we had formed. The boy scoffed and turned away. I released the breath I’d been holding.

“Shit, Peter I didn’t mean to make you late!” I reclaimed the distance that had been between us, though I didn’t want to. 

“It’s fine, I’ll just meet you guys at the assembly,” Peter replied, but he was looking at the ground, his cheeks a little pinker than they were before. It  _ was _ pretty warm, though.

“If you’re sure.”

“Yeah.” He turned to leave, but paused and mumbled a goodbye.

“Bye,” I whispered, but he was already too far away to hear. I hovered in the doorway for a moment, until the teacher called to me.

“Excuse me,” he said. “Please take a seat.”

“Right, sorry.” I smiled at him and looked around the room. There was one unclaimed seat, right next to the boy who was glaring at me less than a minute ago. It was like a cliche scene out of a movie. I huffed and sat down, looking straight forward.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I checked it and found nine new messages- one from Ned, two from Peter and six in the group chat.

Ned:  _ did u find ur class _ . I typed back a yes with a smile emoji.

Peter:  _ Hey this is Peter _

Peter:  _ Were you about to fight Flash Thompson?  _ This message was accompanied by an emoji with its mouth hanging open.

(Y/N):  _ If that was the guy that was about to fight me then probably lol _

In the group:

Ned:  _ i think i can get us the good seats _

Ned:  _ the ones behind the cheerleaders _

Peter:  _ Seriously Ned _

Peter:  _ You just met (Y/N) and you’re already being weird??? _

Ned:  _ ya never know she might enjoy the view too _

Peter:  _ OMG stop _

I giggled reading the messages. I had a feeling I had found the two friends I promised myself. I could easily get through a year with the pair. Hell, I might enjoy it so much our time flies by.

“You’re friends with the fat one too?” Flash’s voice was at my shoulder, his eyes on my phone screen. “This is too good.”

“A bodyshamer, too?” I replied. “You just keep stooping lower.”

“Listen, babe,” Flash said. “You’re way above hanging with them. How about you let me take you out later and show you why?”

“No, thanks,” I muttered.

“At least give me your number so you can text someone worth your time.”

“Not in a million years.” 

“Are you bothering this beautiful lady?” A voice behind me said. I turned in my chair to see the speaker; he was several inches taller than Flash, and broader too, a football player’s build. He had dirty blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was eyeing flash with distaste but there was a polite smile on his face.

“Why don’t you mind your business, you hillbilly?”

“And let you keep harassing her?” The other boy said. He was still being polite, and he didn’t have an accent, so I wondered why Flash had called him hillbilly.

“Just fuck off, dude.” Flash frowned, waving a dismissive hand and turning back toward me. The blond’s hand shot out to grab Flash by the collar and yank him to his feet. I felt my phone vibrate in my hands but couldn’t look away.

“I won’t say it again.” The blond still smiled but his eyes had darkened considerably. Without a word, Flash shook of the hand and slunk back to his seat.

“Thank you,” I said. “But I had it handled.”

“Is that why he hadn’t left?” He raised an eyebrow. Then he held out a hand. “I’m Will, by the way.”

“(Y/N),” I replied, accepting the handshake. Will leaned against my desk and I looked down at my phone as he spoke.

Ned:  _ she read it but isnt denying it haha _

(Y/N):  _ I’ll tell you when I see the girls lol _

“I don’t even think I can be called a hillbilly,” Will laughed. “I’m from Oklahoma, but I lived in the city.”

“I was wondering what that was about,” I said. 

Ned:  _ omg (Y/N) please never leave _

“Not to be a hypocrite,” Will said. “But can I give you my number? It seems like we’re the only two senior transfers so we’re in the same boat.”

“Sure,” I replied, smiling. He put his number in my phone and as I was typing a message to him, the teacher stood up and called for our attention.

We were herded through the halls and into the gymnasium. Will and I walked together until I spotted Ned. I waved goodbye to Will and joined Ned on the bleachers; he had secured a spot on the bottommost row.

“Where’s Peter?” I asked as I sat down.

“Jeez, hello to you too,” Ned replied.

“Sorry. Hey, Ned.”

“Why, hello, (Y/N)! How pleasant and unexpected to see you here!” Ned spoke in a voice that would have been suited to an imperial from the 1800s.

“So… where’s Peter?”

“He has Ms. Donahue for home room. She always lectures the room for at least ten minutes before she lets anyone leave,” Ned explained. “Ah, there he is.” 

Sure enough, Peter was working his way through the crowd of socializing students to get to us. His face broke into a grin when our eyes met and I returned it without a second thought. I started to scoot toward Ned to make room for Peter, but the angle Peter was walking at made it seem like he wanted to be between us so I moved the other way instead, perching myself on the edge of the plastic.

“So, what exactly is this assembly for?” I asked.

“Welcome students, waste time,” Peter replied. 

I giggled. “Wasting time isn’t so bad. Even less bad with company.” I gently bumped him with my side. Our grins were still in place from when we saw each other.

“Not so bad,” he murmured. 

We sat in silence, smiling with locked eyes for a few seconds when something hit my shoulder, hard, and I fell off the seat. But I didn’t hit the ground. Peter caught me; one of his hands was around my waist, the other was cradling my neck. He pulled me back next to him and surveyed me carefully.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked.

“Yes,” I said. His brown eyes were inches from my face and his hands were still around me. “Thank you.”

Peter gave a small nod, then I felt his hands tense. “Uh,” he breathed. “Sorry.” He pulled his arms back to his sides. I wanted to tell him he could leave them there, but it felt too cheesy. Not to mention a bit weird, we were practically strangers.

“Don’t worry about it.” Several awkward moments passed. I was trying to think of some way to make it less weird when Ned spoke up.

“Well!” Ned exclaimed. “You two seem close already.”

“Shut up,” Peter and I said in sync. We exchanged a glance, then a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a hot minute since I've updated this, so my writing style is a bit different than before. Still trying to find what works, please bear with me haha!  
> Please consider supporting me on Patreon!  
> https://www.patreon.com/FanFictheKid


	6. Snowfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this one isn't very polished. I kinda just let the scene go where I felt it needed to, but in the end it looks crude and not thought out. Also, this chapter kinda flops a few times between perspectives, sorry if that makes it even more crude. Hope you still enjoy!   
> However! Great news for everyone eagerly awaiting new chapters!! I have them all laid out and summarized, all that's left to do is actually make them into coherent chapters.

“Flash is such a dick sometimes,” Ned said. Sure enough, when Peter looked behind them, Flash was walking up the bleachers with a smirk.

“Sometimes?” Peter said. Ned and (Y/N) chuckled.

At that moment, the lights dimmed and the principal stepped onto the court and spun slowly to take us all in. He held a microphone and there was a spotlight on him as he began his speech. 

Peter tuned it all out, he had already heard it three times, he hardly needed to listen a fourth. He was too busy thinking about the girl beside him. She had thanked him again, and it sounded even sweeter than the first night he saw her. Perhaps it was because she was looking in his eyes as he looked in hers. There was no mask to hide his features so he had to make sure his face looked normal, that it wasn’t obvious that his heart was in his throat, beating against his Adam’s apple.

He kept his eyes straight ahead as he moved his hand along the bleacher carefully. When his fingers touched her skin he froze; he hadn’t planned this far ahead.

“Er,” Peter whispered. “Sorry.” He began to withdraw his hand, but her palm covered it. He glanced at her and he could swear her face was a light pink but it was too dark to be sure. Despite this, her voice was casual.

“Just leave it, these bleachers are pretty cramped. Might as well get comfortable.”

“Right.”

“Actually, would you mind if I got closer? My ass is kinda hanging off the side.”

“Sure.” Peter cleared his throat in what he hoped was a casual manner as she leaned into him. He took a slow breath in and flipped his hand over. As if by nature, her fingers slipped between his and squeezed gently.

A nudge to his ribs from the opposite side made him jump. Ned raised an eyebrow, looking first from their hands to Peter’s eyes. Peter responded with a small smile and shake of his head. Ned shrugged and turned back to face the principal with unfocused eyes.

Peter stretched, leaning back a bit. His eyes flicked over to (Y/N)’s other side and he saw about two inches of free space on the bench there. He broke into a grin.

Was he overthinking this or did that mean she felt the same pull that he felt?

\-------------------------

I could not describe the relief that washed over me. That move could’ve gone either way and surprisingly enough, it went well. He even took it further to actually hold hands mutually instead of just me holding his. Even though our hands got sweaty, neither of us pulled away. 

The principal finished, a few other teachers said some words, then the cheerleaders came out to do their part. They got in a triangle formation, their backs to us and the wider base of the shape near us. Ned’s eyes finally came into focus and he cheered along with them. He knew all the words and had twice as much pep. It was a wonder they hadn’t recruited him.

All too soon, the principal was back in the center of the court, wishing us a happy year and bidding us a good day. The mass of students stood up and began crowding toward the doors, but Ned and Peter hung back. I also noticed that neither of us had let go yet. Ned didn’t make any comments about it, though before he met my eyes I saw him glance at our hands.

“So, where do you live?”

I opened my mouth to answer but Peter answered before me. 

“Creepy,” I snickered.

“I, uh, I live in the next building. I saw you on the walk here,” Peter explained.

“Cool, you can walk home with us,” Ned said.

“If you want to,” Peter added quickly.

“Of course!” I grinned at both of them and scooped up my bag. Peter locked eyes with me, even as he stooped to grab his bag. I squeezed his hand and cleared my throat. “So, do we have to let go?”

“Is it weird if we don’t?” Peter’s head tilted a fraction of an inch to one side and one corner of his mouth raised in a shy smile. My heart kissed my ribs, blood kissing my cheeks.

“Not at all,” I breathed. There was no way he heard the words, but he was watching my mouth and read them.

Ned looked back and forth between us then smacked his lips, rocking back on his heels. “You guys ready to go or are you spending the night here?”

I gave a breathless laugh. “Sorry, I’m ready when you guys are.”

Though the walk to school gave me too much time to worry about the coming day (worry without reason, it seemed), the walk home hardly gave me time to reflect on the chain of events that led me to this point. Holding hands with a boy I met hours previous but felt a strong connection to. This was the one thing I didn’t want to overthink, because I wanted to appreciate it while it was here. While  _ he  _ was here, at my side.

Ned supplied most of the conversation on the walk. Peter and I chipped in a few words, a  _ cool _ here, a  _ sucks  _ there, depending on the context, of course. 

Without warning, we were suddenly in front of my apartment building. I tuned out most of the way here, it seemed. I didn’t want to release Peter’s hand, though I knew it would be waiting for tomorrow morning. 

“Well,” I sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I had meant  _ you  _ to mean  _ you both _ , but with my eyes on Peter, I’m sure Ned didn’t see it that way. I made sure to meet Ned’s eyes too and bowed my head a bit. 

“See you tomorrow,” Peter replied. He tightened his grip like he wasn’t going to let go so easily and for a long moment I wanted to close the gap between us and kiss him… But I didn’t want to scare him off or mess up in any way, so I pulled away and smiled. When I got to the door of the building, I turned to look at him. He was standing there with a hand raised up; reaching for me or waving, I couldn’t be sure.

“I’ll text you,” I called to Peter and turned away. At the words, his face seemed to glow.

I walked up the stairs in half the time it would’ve taken me any day before this one.

\-------------------------

“Any more of that and I thought I would see rainbows pop out of your head,” Ned muttered.

“Sorry, I just,” Peter struggled for the words. “She’s beautiful.” That didn’t even begin to cover it, but his head was still swimming from that feeling he had just before she let go. He wanted to kiss her so badly it almsot felt like a physical pull now. He even started leaning toward her when she backed away. He couldn’t imagine what would’ve happened if she didn’t… Whatever this was, it would’ve been demolished if he did something so stupid and impulsive.

“She  _ is  _ cute,” Ned agreed. Peter turned to him quickly, his brows furrowed. “Easy dude, I’m not saying I’m competition. Just saying you have good taste is all. I know you forgot I was here, but if you bothered to look, I wasn’t getting those stupid lovey-dovey eyes you were.”

“Hey!” Peter elbowed him but he laughed. “I can’t help it.”

“Whatever, dude.” Ned grinned, then sighed. “I’m just not used to being left in the dust like that.”

“I would never leave you behind, man. You know that.” Peter bumped his knuckles against Ned’s. 

Ned rolled his eyes. “Enough emotions for today.” His laugh was cut short by his eyes locked onto Peter’s bag. “I also meant to ask you when you came back to this planet, why did you grab each other’s bags? Some sort of weird mating ritual?”

“What?” Peter slipped the bag off his shoulder. “Shit.” It was indeed, (Y/N)’s backpack.

“Ah, I see now. It was to give you a reason to meet up with her again!”

“I swear this was an accident!” Peter paused. “Though, in fact, I do have to return it don’t I?”

“You are so full of it,” Ned replied. “I’ll text you later, man.”

“Yep,” Peter responded, already taking slow steps backward. “See ya.”

Now that the interaction was over, Peter remembered his bag’s contents and his eyes widened. “ _ Shit _ .”

\-------------------------

I perched on the edge of my bed, hands on my cheeks. There was too many emotions in me to even begin picking them apart, but for now.... What the hell is that? 

I looked in my bag, only it wasn’t my bag. This bag was newer. Inside, there was some sort of clothing. I pulled it out and held it by what I determined to be the sleeves. I recognized it…

This is what the man who rescued me in the alley was wearing! I poked through the rest of the contents and found several notebooks, all empty but one. This one looked fairly new, but was full of notes. In the top right corner of the first page was the name  _ Peter Parker  _ in neat handwriting.

My eyes scanned the page and I recognized a formula, but only because the molecules were drawn beside it. I wasn’t sure what it was for, even what the title at the top boasting  _ Web Fluid. _ What did that even mean?

My phone vibrated in my back pocket, scaring me enough to make me jump a few inches. It was a text from Peter.

Peter:  _ Can you meet me on the roof? I have your bag _

(Y/N):  _ Sure, be right there _

I typed back quickly, dropping the costume back in Peter’s bag and scooping it up again. I made it to the roof quickly and found Peter pacing along the ledge. 

“Hey!” I called. He looked up at my voice. I waved and he returned it. “You should be careful, walking on the ledge like that.”

“Hm? Oh, that’s no problem, I do it all the time.”

“It’s still dangerous,” I scolded.

“I’m glad to see you again as well,” Peter replied.

“Sorry.” I shook my head to clear it. “How did we end up swapping bags by mistake?”

“Well, we weren’t paying much attention.” His brown eyes were on my face again.

“That’s true,” I giggled. He held out my bag and I took it, replacing it with his. “Are you busy?”

“No, why?” He leaned up onto the balls of his feet. 

“It’s pretty up here, we could stay a bit,” I offered. Peter nodded enthusiastically.

He let his bag fall and bounced up onto the ledge once more. I dropped my bag and hesitated. I took a careful step forward to hoist myself up beside him but paused and smiled when he offered his hand. 

“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I would never let you fall.” I accepted his hand and we sat down, leaning against each other.

“How did you know I liked to come to the roof?” I asked after a moment.

“What do you mean?”

“I could’ve just as easily met you at the entrance on the ground floor.”

“Oh.” He gave what sounded like a nervous laugh. “I had a feeling you would enjoy the view.”

I turned and put a hand on his cheek, gently turning his face toward mine; I smiled. “I do.”

My heart lurched forward, like it knew I should lean toward his lips. Instead, I pulled my eyes away and let my hand drop to rest on his. Again, he turned his hand to weave our fingers together. It wasn’t so much as awkward as it was frustrating. Twice now, I had missed perfectly good opportunities to kiss him. But I wanted to be careful with this. I could be sure of my feelings but I couldn’t be sure of his. What if I was fooling his heart into falling? What if this was all superficial, an invention of my being?

To banish the thoughts I spoke again, something that I had forgotten about but had piqued my curiosity not too long ago.

“Are you a cosplayer?”

“What?” He turned to look at me and cocked his head.

“I opened your bag before I realized it wasn’t mine and I saw the costume you have. It looks very well made, you must be dedicated,” I explained, smiling. Not many people from my old school cosplayed, and those that did were embarrassed about it.

“Oh, that,” Peter laughed. Again, it seemed a little forced. “Yeah, I cosplay sometimes.”

“That’s really cool, Peter.”

“Thank you,” he murmured. It felt like he was hiding something, but we’d known each other for less than a day, he was in no way obligated to tell me his secrets. Still, for some reason, it hurt.

We stayed that way until the sun was settling against the horizon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please consider supporting me on Patreon!  
> https://www.patreon.com/FanFictheKid


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